Dimension of time & praying for souls

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I’m not sure if this is the best forum to ask this hypothetical question but here it is. I was thinking about this as I was putting my 2 year old to bed the other night.
If there are no time constraints with God, could I pray for the soul of my daughter now while she is alive for the time when she does face her judgment day? And of course it’s a given that I pray for her present safety now.
 
yes you are right, you can also pray for those who have died long ago.
 
puzzleannie “you can also pray for those who have died long ago”
–Yes, that thought came to mind too! 🙂 Thanks.
 
I had an image many years ago, which I believe is from God, that accumulating prayers for someone would be similar to putting money in a bank trust account. Little by little, the account grows, so that when the money is truly needed it can be withdrawn in one large sum and applied to the need. 👍 God can take all of our years of praying, since He is not limited to “time,” and then grace a person all at once with a powerful conversion (or whatever). Remember St. Monica?
 
Somebody could think wrongly that he could repent for his future sins and be so sure that he would be saved no matter how gravely his sins will be.
 
I can’t remember where I heard it - many years ago - but that the prayers (particularly, I believe Masses) said for a soul while still alive can be very beneficial. There’s no doubt that praying for your child’s or anyone’s soul while alive - is a great blessing that only God knows the value of.

I will add when you pray for your child, to the end of the prayer add - “and all the children of the world”. Similarly, when praying for a particular deceased soul, it’s good to say, “For the soul of Emma and all the Souls in Purgatory, particularly those most in need of God’s mercy.” That little additive will take in so many who perhaps are not receiving any prayers at all.

God Bless You and Your Child -
Conservative
 
I’ve also heard of this too. Fr. Corapi said that you can pray for a person who have died, say, fifty years ago. God will use our prayers to apply them to a particular period, because God is outside of time.

But how do is it, since eternal damnation is not outside of time, right? :confused:
 
ZEEBEE said:
I’m not sure if this is the best forum to ask this hypothetical question but here it is. I was thinking about this as I was putting my 2 year old to bed the other night.
If there are no time constraints with God, could I pray for the soul of my daughter now while she is alive for the time when she does face her judgment day? And of course it’s a given that I pray for her present safety now.
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This is not defined, but since God is out of time…I see no barrier to our prayers, fasting, or suffering to benefit someone in Purgatory who has or ever will die. Because it is Christ working through us when we do these things, the power is applied to all (Rm 11:32, et al)…

So I tend to think Purgatory is an instant. But a soul 100 years ago may have been granted mercy through Purgatory because of 5 years of praying we did, for instance!
 
I have thought of this in respect to suicides. If someone committed suicide years ago, can I pray effectively for God to give them the grace to repent between the time they commited themselves - pulled the trigger, jumped or whatever - and the time they died?

I think of it in particular in regard to a murder victim who was stuffed in a car trunk, doused with gasoline and burnt to death. I pray frequently that the victim had the grace to repent the sins that put him there and that he forgave his killer. I think God accepts such a prayer.
 
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